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It seems like a step in the wrong direction. The Big Ten has been more run heavy than other conferences, so the five linebacker look would be versatile against it, but this is still college football, and the lightness in the defensive backfield could be a big weakness if the the coverage linebacker is not up to the third wide receiver, assuming the safety is playing zone.

Gimmicky system, and I am against those in general. Look at Gerogia Tech's ground game last year. Looks awesome if you're playing scrubs. They play Iowa with a real defense, looks like crap. Good big ten teams will dismantle a 3-5-3, especially the real run oriented teams like Wisconsin.

I think this is the week we find out what Michigan is really made of. I personally think they are a pretender with that defense and will get exposed from here forward. But I guess we'll see what kind of magic Robinson has and if it can carry the whole team.

I think this is the week we find out what Michigan is really made of. I personally think they are a pretender with that defense and will get exposed from here forward. But I guess we'll see what kind of magic Robinson has and if it can carry the whole team.

On the other hand: Rich Rodriguez is guilty of borderline criminal negligence in regard to this so-called defense. Did Lloyd Carr leave a stocked cupboard? No. But this is Year 3, and we have no direction, no goal, no ANYTHING on defense. Why? Because our head coach is a glorified offensive coordinator who pays no attention to the other side of the ball. Because Rich Rodriguez hired Scott Shafer in 2008, and then stood by as his buddies cut Shafer's balls off and ousted him as defensie coordinator. Shafer was fired after the season, rendering the entire 2008 season moot. The stench of 3-9 sticks, but any miniscule lessons any of the players learned along the way went swirling the drain when the coordinator and scheme changed.

And then, as if trying to one-up his own stubbornness, after another catatstrophic meltdown in 2009, Rich Rodriguez "recommends" the 3-3-5 defense to his second year coordinator, Greg Robinson. It's bad enough that in Year 3, we were once again headed down a new path, defensively. It's even worse that we decided to go to a scheme that takes a defensive lineman off the field and puts an extra defensive back on. I don't have an issue with the 3-3-5 in principle. With the proper personnel and proper coaching, just about any scheme can succeed. But we decide to install a scheme (with a coordinator who has never run it before) that marginalizes our defensive line, puts more strain on our worst unit, and calls on our linebackers to react quickly and fill gaps, something they have almost no capability of doing. It's asinine, it defies logic, and it'd be laughable if it wasn't so ridiculous.

So who's to blame? Obi Ezeh was a Lloyd recruit...and in year 3 Rodriguez has failed to find anybody to get Obi off the field. Rodriguez has failed to dedicate himself to a scheme on defense like he did on offense. Rodriguez has failed to hire the proper coaches to coach the defensive side of the ball. There are massive, massive personnel deficiencies in the defensive backfield, I understand. Rodriguez didn't tell Boubacar Cissoko to lose his mind and become a thug. He didn't tell JT Turner to be lazy and not put in any effort. He didn't break Troy Woolfolk's ankle. He didn't tell Donovan Warren to leave early and go undrafted.

Again, this isn't a blind "Fire RR" post. I'm asking. What's the solution? If you think Greg Robinson is the problem, what coordinator is out there that can stabilize things? Who can step in and install some form of toughness? Look at how the tables have turned. In a matter of what, four years, Michigan and Michigan State have become complete opposites. Michigan has gone from the old-school "boring" offense and more or less smashmouth defense to the explosive spread offense with nothing even close to a mediocre defense, while MSU has gone from the John L spread and no D to the old Michigan look of run, run, playaction, play D. Curious how this reversal of attitudes has accompanied a reversal of game results...

What D? It is non-existent and mediocre at best by FCS standards. By FBS standards, they are terrible. UMass had the most yards so far this season against Michigan and not some FCS team! That is sad.

The biggest problem (of many problems) is they are undersized in their front 7 (well front 6 for this weird, bull$h!t defense) . They need get personnel at OLB and on the DL that you would get for a 3-4 ie DEs between 290-310, NT of at least 330, OLB between 260-275.

The article above makes a good point about the offense. Rich Rod needs to stop getting so many frickin' RBs...it seems like 1/3 of their roster is RBs. Earth to Rod this isn't the Big East. Defense wins in the Big 10. The offense is just a bonus.